Comments and Katrina

If you want to see a guy with a few comments on his blog, check out this guys numbers.....an absolute riot!

Address is here=> http://gardenstate.typepad.com/

Don't know why his numbers are so high? ;-)

Something else, here is a website that shows you what an amazing job they did on pumping the water out of NO. Not sure what it is like now, but cripes, well done!

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/h2005_katrina.html

cheers
Dave.

You pick 'em

Everyone has this one in their personal links I'm sure.

http://www.scriptsales.com/DDScriptSales.htm

Does anyone else do this......read the logline and try and pick the genre?

Sometimes I read one, start chuckling, and then read the genre.......drama.......oops!

I suppose it shows there is more than one movie out of each idea. That or I have a twisted sense of humour, and no, I did not used to tortue kittens as a kid.

That is what little brothers are for!


cheers
Dave.

Racing Update

Hi All,

We're off and racing......and there's been a protest!

Okay, so what I thought might be the case, is the case. Producer who owns movie rights, still does, and he has a script he is happy with. In fact, the book I read, was based on the script, not the other way around....probably explains why it was only 166 pages long! ;-)

The producer was nice in his reply, so I checked with my mate about whether he still wanted to help if the movie ever got made by supplying any documentation he has, that they might need. Emailed the producer back, and gave contact details for my friend and thanked him for his time and for replying, etc. I was actually happy to get a reply.

In the email, I took a chance and asked if it was possible for him to produce and fund a $100 million dollar movie.

Okay, no, was not that forward, going to wait for first date ;-) However, did ask that, mabye in the future,(yes, I was just about standing with my head down making figures with my toe in the sand here) whether we could get together, me supplying either drinks, dinner or both, and perhaps he would consider looking at some of my screenplays, just for feedback, etc. Will let you know if I get a reply, I don't expect one! ;-) Ya gotta try!

I can let you know who he was the manager, producer for. He is an Aussie, and I only have to say one word. Crikey! ;-) So, yes, you can see he would have had to have contacts in HW. All good fun, learnt a little about how to research stuff like movie rights, etc.

He was nice in his reply, I learnt a little, so good experience overall.

cheers
Dave.

Emails and Alligators

Scott from http://www.alligatorsinahelicopter.blogspot.com/ pointed out my email was not working, thanks for that Scott, and I appreciate the referral and signing me up to the 100 top viagra sites, will come in handy in my old age.

So,on the off chance someone has been trying to email me to see if I know Elle McPhersons phone number, you can try again. I don't have it, but you can now find out via email. Do you think I would really give her number away? She might now Angelina or Jessica Alba. ;-)

Scott had also written an entry on bad dialogue, ie characters talking to themselves. My little contribution to Warren's Group Project (at http://www.screenwritinglife.com/ )seemed to fit what he was saying perfectly. Unfortunately. ;-) I asked him, and he was kind enough to take it apart a bit and let me know his thoughts. So, if you want to see some constructive comments from a reputable reader, go and have a read at his site. I don't mind constructive criticism at all, if I am going to improve at writing, then getting feedback(and actually doing it) are the only ways.

cheers
Dave.

Copyright Payment from OS

I recently contacted the US Copyright Office to ask about payment of fees from overseas to register works with them. As I could not find anything about payment from overseas, I contacted them.

My main worry was that often if you send a cheque, International Money Order, International Bank Draft, etc, there are often significant fees at other end, and I had a gut feeling there might be some trouble if you send even an IBD. So here is the answer I got the other day, and thought there might be other people out there who would want this info. They unfortunately did not give me any info on EFT transfers(which was not available on site, as that page was down).

I am going to have to cheque with my bank as to what the best vehicle is as well. Pity they don’t take credit card. They do for some transactions, but obviously for overseas transactions, this is not the case.

There is a lot of information on this site http://www.copyright.gov/

Cheers
Dave.

***********************************

Please send your remittance in the form of a draft, that is, a check, money order, or bank draft, payable to: "Register of Copyrights". Do not send cash. Drafts must be redeemable without service or exchange fee through a U.S. institution, must be payable in U.S. currency, and must be imprinted with American Banking Association routing numbers. International Money Orders and Postal Money Orders that are negotiable only at a post office are not acceptable.

You may also pay the $30 fee in U.S. traveler's checks. Generally, traveler's checks are only available in multiples of $20. You may overpay the application fee (i.e $40), and after you receive the certificates of registration, you can send a letter requesting a refund providing details about the original submission (i.e. date submitted, name on the traveler's check).

******************ssc****************
Copyright Office
Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave SE
Washington DC 20559
(202) 707-3000
www.copyright.gov
**********************************

Group Script Project

Warren at www.screenwritinglife.com has been running this group project. It has been lots of fun, and my bit just got posted.

You can see it here.

http://www.screenwritinglife.com/v-in-a-restaurant

Tomatoes, and other squishy fruit and veg can be emailed rather than thrown.

Tried to have fun, and gave a hat tip to good old Paul Hogan. Was saying to Warren, you guys in the states unfortunately missed out on his sketch show from the 70's where he started. Very funny and talented guy. Some of his latest films have been terrible vehicles for him. I really don't know why he does them. Maybe the money is too good to turn down. Who knows.

cheers
Dave.

Why this blog?

Just wanted to clarify why I write this blog....it is really for me, I will put something up here if I found it and think someone else in my position might find it useful, funny, enjoyable, whatever, hence the links on the side. However, I wont often link to a pro's specific article, unless I want to discuss that particular subject, as I assume you have already read them.

However, I am here to learn, the reason I might not often link to other stories, etc is that if you are reading me first.......something is wrong. Read the pro's first and then when you are drunk, stoned or are having a mental block, then drop by. Yell wanker, and then keep on going.

I had a little stats counter thing there, but that was just for fun, (use doped up voice, even though it has been over 14 years since I last tried some) seeing the pretty coloured flags generate, but as soon as google ads started showing.....out of here.

My job is selling, I do it all day, (software to hotels and resorts, yes, it is a cool job, I even get to travel to them ;-) )I dont have anything to sell here, I don't even want little google ads where I might make some dollars if you click on the link, for me this is purely about writing. That is just me, anyone else doing it, no problem from me, I often click on them anyway if they look interesting, but I just want this site to be one thing. This is where I stay focused on writing the screenplays. Like a lot of you, ideas are easy, got a million, but I want to hang around with other aspiring sw's like myself, and it is easier to do it online. I really hope some of us can swap scripts like we have discussed. There seems to be a few of us around the 40 mark, so we all have similar interests and memories, from that era, so I feel comfortable.

I am constantly amazed at how agreeable, friendly, down to earth, and helpful the pro's are on their blogs and other places, forums, etc. I have said it before, but again, thank you for all assistance whether it be answering questions, articles, or general discussion, it is all invaluable, and up until a couple of years ago, impossible unless you lived in LA.

I cannot move to LA at present as I have a family, responsibilities, etc. so this is my way of absorbing the LA culture, and maybe meet some contacts. Who knows.

By having this blog it constantly reminds me to write. I wont post here unless I have written something, anything on one of my sp's.

Writing on here also keeps my fingers and brains working even if it is not on a sp, it also reminds and inspires me to get back to the important writing. I figure if I can get a laugh out of you guys, then I am doing something right. If Angelina Jolie drops by and falls in love with me, well then all the better, stuff any career, I am off to have some blood sucked.

I just thought I would let you know where I am at. Just hanging in cyber space, absorbing the greatness of wisdom that be the pro's and gaining inspiration and focus.

cheers
Dave.

Query Letters from Hell

This website is fun to read http://queryletters.blogspot.com/ but the latest one made me stop for a second or two.

This one:

http://queryletters.blogspot.com/2005/09/i-beg-to-differ-my-good-man-time.html#comments

Yes, the explanation is all over the place, but that logline catches my interest, totally. It is not a classic logline in that it does not follow the convention of having the name, etc etc in it, but if this guy does nothing else, he has come up with his poster line.

Fair suck of the sav, good luck to him, if he can make some more sense in his query letter, and reduce (hell, destroy and start again) it so it has the interest of the logline, he might do okay.
cheers
Dave.

Racing Update

Wrote about this in a comment below, but thought I would paste it here as well.

Well, met with the other guy last night briefly, (had migraine coming on so kept it short, but did not want to put it off one more night). He agreed the he liked the book, so that is great. One down.

Saw the court records he has, there is some amazing stuff to be reviewed, evidence returned by police, original horse registration papers, statement of witnesses, full printouts of court records, track paperwork, etc etc. We are going to get some folders etc this weekend and start preserving the stuff so it does not get wrecked.

Honestly, he could just ebay this stuff for, hell, who knows how much, it is at least in the thousands I would imagine. So, he is not after a quick buck which is good. He is in for the long haul.

So, today, I called the movie rights holder's office. He was not there, but left message, wiht brief explanation, and a definite...NOT LOOKING FOR MONEY included in there. I have not heard back from him at this stage. I will give him until Monday, and then try again, if still not heard, I will then use his mobile. I always try to be polite before going for the jugular. ;-)

So, that is it at this stage. Just basic planning. I am going to do two scripts. One with notes referencing all source material, so that lawyers can easily check it, if required, and the second one will be a straight normal screenplay. We have discussed basic structure of movie, and funny enough, we both have similar idea on structure which is nice to start off with.

That is it, we are aiming for another meeting Sunday afternoon to discuss the structure, etc and go through court records. Will keep you posted.

Thanks again for offers of help, they are greatly appreciated!!
cheers
Dave.

9:14 AM

Product Placement & Racing Movie update

Just watched the Island last weekend, and was actually expecting worse to tell you the truth. Mind you I am a fan of Ewan McGregor’s work, so I suppose that brought it up for me.

One item I did find quite amusing, is that you have all these hover trains, hover buses, jet bikes(I WANT ONE BY THE WAY!!!!) and yet the former “Delta Forces” etc are riding around in helicopters that still need rotors. I reckon he could have thrown some blue LED lights on the skids, bulked up the skids a bit, and had the computer guys take out the rotors later on, would have looked quite cool!

Anyway, the Island made me think about product placement. If you have seen the movie you will know why ;-). It is one of those necessary things in movies nowadays to help reduce costs, I truly have no problem with that as long as it works within the story. Hell even if it is only a small change, but does not affect overall story, and helps get the movie made, truly to me, no biggie. People do drink Coke and Pepsi, they do drive cars, etc so it can be a great symbiosis, however, I think there should be some ground rules so as the viewing public stop throwing items at the screen during the show.

Here are mine, feel free to add some more in comments.

1. There are other PC’s in the world besides Dell.

2. There are Apple computers, which are attractive, and widely used in graphical and creative work. However, they are not well known for running world wide nuclear plant and satellite networks. Keep the Macs for the writers in Starbucks.

3. Even though Dell computers are available wireless, they do not automatically logon onto Advanced Alien organic, crystal, 10000 year in the future technology. Well not very easily, normally you have to reboot once or twice.

4. If you have to place your product in a gritty, grungy, post apocalyptic world to make it look cool, make sure your product has not just had the Martha Stewart makeover and stands out like dogs balls, this actually detracts from its “street cred”. Unless of course it is a prison setting, then by all means it can have the Martha Stewart makeover.

5. Classic Coke was never drunk by anyone, and therefore should not appear anywhere.

6. Supermodels don’t drink full strength coke, unless it is white and mixed with champagne. This can be called a coke spritzer, however, I do think if you put the Coca Cola logo on the champagne glass you will have some trouble with the family lobby groups in the US.

7. The name you call your product now, is NOT going to be the same name in the year 3036. At the very least modify it slightly, to give the impression you are at least trying.

8. The family where the father is the sole bread winner by delivering pizzas, wife stays at home, and they ahve 5 kids, cannot afford to even put gas into the latest BMW X5 SUV, so don’t think he can have one sitting in the drive way.

9. Said pizza guy can not live in Trump towers, unless it is a remake of Brewster’s Millions.

10. Feel free to send me all possible products for me to evaluate and suggest how they are best placed. BMW, I do have room for the X5, the kids don’t need their rooms that bad.

_______________________________________

Racing Movie

Did some investigation into who might have movie rights to this book I read, as in the last 5 pages or so, the main character, tells how he and the main ringleader sold the movie rights, but he thinks it was a dodgy deal. I don't want to spend a heap of time on this if we cannot get those rights, or be involved with the person who has them, etc.

Anyway, going off the inside of the book, found publisher on web, then found publisher that had bought that publisher, found the rights department, emailed them. Got response, and then went searching for who they thought might have them still, as he had held them last they knew.

Looked up this guy, and found his office(10mins from my work!), mobile and email, all this was done on the web.

How long did this all take.

1 hour, in between jobs. Did I mention I love the internet.

To top it off, the guy who we think holds the rights, is now a manager and director for an internationally known Aussie TV star, who is bigger in the US then Oz. So yes, this guy has the potential to get the whole thing off the ground as well.

My meeting with the guy who has the court records is tonight, he got delayed Tuesday night unfortunately. Will run all this past him and see what he thinks. If he likes the idea of adapting the book (which I gave him earlier this week to read) and using his court records I will approach this manager with the angle of hey, how about we go away for 6 months see if we come up with something you like, and if so, how about we do something with it. Here lets sign this piece of paper to say we wont get our balls ripped out, etc. and we can all be happy.

Book is only 166 pages long, so it is not a huge thing to wade through which is good. I could see this being a made for TV movie......and the catchphrase that keeps coming into my head is The Conman just got conned. I think that is the basis of the whole story. Setup how this guy was a likeable conman, and then show him getting conned and left holding the bag. So to speak.

Will keep you posted.

Cheers
Dave.

The Ashes: A Burning End

Well, all I can say is lucky this blog's background is black!

The Poms won the Ashes for the first time in 18 years.

They played much better than Australia did without doubt. They won with the two things I think writers must have as well.........passion and desire. They had much more than the Aussies, and therefore deserved to win....ack, hack, cough, splutter......man, that was hard to say. ;-)

Ah well, only two years until we go around again!!!

cheers
Dave.

The Ashes

I mentioned below about cricket, and the mighty Ashes.

The Ashes, the mighty trophy that two countries go to sporting war over regularly.

5 Games, over 5 days, 25 playing days in total to win the Ashes.

The most important trophy in the cricketing world, and only two nations play for it.

Now, prepare yourself to be amazed by:

THE ASHES!















Bloody huge isn't it!


cheers
Dave.
PS Don't know who the goofy one is holding it. Most likely a Pom. ;-)

An Opportunity has Raced Up - sort of.

My daughter has been playing regularly with this other girl from school, they have been over each others place several times, and the two mothers have gotten to know each other, and they get along well. My wife invited them over for a Barbie a couple of weeks ago, and I met the husband.

We did all the normal male meeting ritual things, including sacrificing a goat over open flames, etc. Well we are chatting and it turns out he works in the local horse racing industry at present( I wont say how for reasons which will become obvious, and no, I have not had any good tips as yet…damnit!) anyway, we started discussing an infamous ringin(swapping of horses) incident from the eighties here in Brisbane horse racing. Search www.google.com.au for Fine Cotton Affair, and you will find out more about it if you want.

Anyway, he then mentions that during his course of work he came across a box of evidence from the court actions following the ringin. Tapes, records, etc etc. They were going to throw it out, luckily, it was ahem, saved from destruction by this bloke, and he mentioned to me how it would make a good film(which it could) and he would love to find someone to write a screenplay.

Cough cough, yes that was me choking on my beer.

You see, this guy is a worker like me, so he cannot afford to hire someone to write it.

I am, as you know aspiring, and would love a chance like this, as it is the type of story in Oz that could possibly get made, and if so, I might get a writing credit, etc. which may ( and yes, it is a big may) help me in my aspirations over the other side of that pond known as the Pacific Ocean.

As horse racing is not really my cup of tea, I thought I better check out the story more before suggesting he and I get together and try and make this happen, just in case I could not see any sort of story at all. So read up on it, as most of the story to me, is the court action afterwards, as you can use this without worrying about litigation(well it isn’t as dangerous as outside the courtroom).

Here is the scenario, some of the people are still alive……yes legal ground is dodgy.
One book written about it in the eighties was pulled from shelves, however there are copies around still. I have tracked one down today, and it is on order. There is a book by the trainer(who made the switch) as well. Also on order.

Do you guys have any advice? He and I are going to sit down soon, and start looking at the story, ie what it should be.

There is one great character, the sherrif is his actual nick name, he was a head steward and oversaw the AJC inquiry into it. He even tracked down a witness in the middle of the Tasmanian wildnerness. I am actually thinking that the story could be from his POV, as he is th one that stands out at present, and is, by all accounts a very honourable man, which is unusual in Australian racing from what I am reading! ;-)

When I told the guy who found the evidence, that I am working on screenplays, etc and trying to work my way into that line of work, his face lit up and he was very excited. He has good knowledge of racing industry, which will be invaluable. He has already started writing down timelines, etc at home for us to discuss.

So again, any advice for a based on story, apart from don’t do it, you will get sued? ;-)

Cheers
Dave.

A group effort

Over at The Screenwriting Life, Warren has gathered the cold and weary and molded us into a writing force. Will the result be We were Warriors, or more Get Smart????

Go here to have a look. Any aspiring bloggers, etc jump on in, help us take on Kaos!
http://www.screenwritinglife.com/project-launched

It should be fun.

I have never done anything like this before, nor have I finished my first screenplay, so no laughing!!!! You there in the back (whacks back of hecklers head!)

cheers
Dave.

What Ending?

There I was sitting in bed on Fathers Day, eating breakfast.

By myself.

See, the kids were all excited to bring breakfast to Dad, but that does not include hanging around. There are cartoons to be reviewed!!!

My wife is making a headstart on the dishes so we can get going fairly early and go look at some land she would love to build a house on. So would I, but I think our Bank Manager will require some sort of sexual favour. Honey?

Anyway......

So, there I am alone, enjoying the scrumptious buffet laid on, and obviously my thoughts turn to my screenplay, there is a treatment of sorts, it is sort of to the left side of the front lobe of my brain, which explains the bulge somewhat. I am mulling over everything, and going yep, change this, change that, expand on that, etc. etc.. getting right through to my big finale.

Oops, now I have added a wayward nuclear bomb along the way (you need a nuclear bomb to match those cool nuclear bomb one liners, only kidding, stop swearing, but yes, there is a nuclear bomb, but for what I think is a good reason, doesn't every Rom/Com need a nuclear bomb?), anyway, it struck me, my ending is no longer my ending, I cannot possibly finish the script there...it has to be lengthened by some, I am not sure how much at the moment, probably not that much, but it really showed me how by adding one thing, you have to make sure you go over every detail, and not just get to the end.

That is one of the things I love about writing, especially screenplays, coming up with solutions to these types of problems, I love this sort of challenge.

cheers
Dave.

What's in a Name?

Some of you may, in those downtimes when picking the gunky bits out of between your toes seems like too much effort, wonder why blogger signs me as Grubber.

Well when I opened this blog up, I was not sure of how it all worked, and so used the nick I have used for years on some forums.

Grubber is one half of mulligrubber. It is a cricket term for when the ball hits the pitch and scoots along the ground after being bowled. Well we use that term here in Oz anyway. So that is where it came from. Real name David Thomas. I respond to Grubber, Grubs, Dave, Thommo, beer, etc.

A lot of the people in this screenwriting blogosphere are American (don't know why, what do they have in the US that spawns so many screenwriters?:-) ), anyway, you normally dont know much about cricket, and I am going to enlighten you as to the true attraction of this wonderful game.

The funniest description I have heard is "baseball on valium". Not far off really, but America is known for its fast lifestyle, and that includes sports. I believe that most baseball and basketball games are over in a few hours, and Grid Iron takes about 4 hours or so to play, as they keep stopping to check the stock market or something.

Those games are all well and good, but really they are like a Chinese Meal for sport. You feel empty again after a short time.

Cricket however, is the full 10 course banquet.

You may not have heard of a test match.

A test match last 5 days.

5 Days.

Yes, 5 Days.

When you take time off to see this baby, you need a decent amount of your annual leave still available.

Play starts each day around 10, and finishes around 5pm.

Unfortunately they have just recently restricted it to light beer. You can imagine what it was like prior to this ban.

Cricket is therefore not a sport, it is a lifestyle. ;-) Unfortunately at the moment, us Aussies are getting our arses handed to us on a platter by, of all teams, the Poms!

Here are some pretty pictures.






Also, don't believe a word Chris Parr says from http://ukscriptwriter.blogspot.com/, he is a Pom, and therefore cannot be relied upon to discuss cricket rationally.

cheers
Dave.

Crafty Screenwriting II: The Review!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, like Alex said you should always be working on your title, that one sucked, but that's what you get for all of 10 seconds creative time.

Finished the book (Crafty Screenwriting by Alex Epstein) in a little over a week.

Yes, I know, most of you are saying, it took you a week! It is only about 250 pages, why so long.

I leave home at 6.30am, get back around 7-7.30pm. I cook dinner, do some cleaning, play with the kids, put them to bed, etc etc. This weekend, went and saw the parents, and yesterday was fathers day, so we were out for most of the weekend.

So, it is not a matter of it took me that long, it is the fact I managed to get it read in a week, despite all of the above, that is testament to what I thought of the quality and its helpfulness.

Helpfulness? Well in all reality I think that is the absolute main benchmark someone like me should be using, to rate how good a book like this is, because that is what I am looking for. There are very few screenwriting books available over here that I have found. I actually ordered this through Amazon.com, and had it shipped from the US.

It is worth every cent of shipping and cost. Bear in mind the shipping did cost more than the book, which is truly unfair to Alex.

Alex gives some great tips for a newbie like me, and even some great ones for anyone who has to proof read. That proofreading idea is a beauty for any writing you do, even reports for business, etc, anything.

He often uses multiple examples to illustrate different ways of doing things, which truly clarifies it for people like myself.

He seems to cut through the literary curfuffle that normally only makes sense if you have a Bachelors in English. ;-)

So all in all, definitely a good read, easy to understand, extremley helpful, and without a lot of bullshit IMHO.

It has definitely helped me with my writing 100%.

Hope this helps if you were deciding whether to get it or not.

cheers
Dave.

PS If you want to know more, go to Alex's site:

http://complicationsensue.blogspot.com/ you can get link to purchase book etc.

Links

Hi All,

Have finally gotting around to adding some more sites to my links.

Some I have had saved for a while now, others, just found in the last couple of weeks.

Two to check out, that are not related to writing(well sort of), the sex in the city girls, girlspoke.com, some very funny girls writing here. If you liked Sex in the City, you will probably enjoy these girls as well.

Michael Yon is the other. He is actually former special forces himself, but is now a freelance journo in Iraq. Getting some amazing stories on his blog. His latest, well, read it for yourself.

I have interspersed the aspiring writers like me, in amongst the pro's, so that hopefully some more talent will spill over to all us aspiring ;-) lets hope so!

Bill Cunningham has some great articles on writing in general and especially for D2DVD, which is not a new pop band in case you are wondering, and no it is not a new cream to relive THAT itch either!

cheers
Dave.

Screenwriting Magazines

I am looking at subscribing to one of the screenwriting mags from the US, not being in the US, and since I can't find any copies in the newsagencies around Brisbane, I thought I would ask you guys if you read any of them, and if so, which would you recommend.

The two I have come across are:

Scr(i)pt Magazine
Creative Screenwriting

Are there any more out there that I should consider?

Next question is are they worth it, or should I just look at maybe a book or two instead.

I think they would be mainly good for up to date information, ie interviews, new techniques, etc etc. not for strict formatting informaton or anything like that(maybe, but I would not expect it).

Bear in mind that any subscription virtually doubles in cost for me due to postage. :-) So, it really has to be worth it.

Still enjoying Crafty Screenwriting immensely. Don't wait for review, if you are new to screenwriting, grab it now, and get stuck in, that is my opinion, all two cents worth(less tax).

cheers
Dave.

Script Coverage, Assessment, Critiquing, whatever the hell you want to call it....

There has been a few discussions out there about the various services available to aspiring screenwriters(like me) where you can send your script, along with payment, for them to review it, and they claim to give you good advice.

The pros seem to say that most of them provide allegedly bad advice, as if they keep getting you to tweak it for further review, they make more money, and I can see what the pro's are on about regarding this.

It very well could be a viscious circle, with the newbie stuck in rewrite limbo, and ends up broke and 73 and never gotten past script number 1(but the structure finally works!)

Anyway, a pro asked a question a few weeks ago whether people like myself would be interested in him/her/mineral taking a look at it for a fee, he/her/mineral seemed to be just testing the waters, but, and I am purposely not using names, as people who read the blog will know, and probably have just as high opinion of him as I do, and since he took down the posts I assume he does not feel comfortable about having that particular blog remain there. Maybe he thinks he will come off looking like some of these "services". I certainly did not think that.

What I wanted to say was, if any of the pros started this service, maybe even on an invitation only basis to regular readers of their blogs, or whatever, I think it would be welcomed.

Well, who are you mister smarty pants to say that?

All these pros and seasoned aspiring screenwriters are already giving people like myself sooooooooooo much information, for free. Zip, nada, nothing. They are already doing that. If anyone is taking advantage of anyone here, it is people like myself, gleaming bits and pieces from these guys and girls.

So, if they then want to earn a little beer money by working their way through 110 pages of this virgins first screenplay, then I don't mind parting with some hard earned dollars to get feedback from someone currently in the thick of it.

Writing a screenplay is creative, you can be artsy fartsy all you like when doing that, but when it comes to selling it, that is business, and therefore all screenswriters are currently business people or aspiring business people. Again, as a business, I would not mind parting with some cash to get some feedback I would respect.

They have nothing to gain, other than a few bucks, which will hardly cover the red pen they will need! ;-)

The biggest thing for me is that I see those aspiring pop stars on Idol...not the ones that are there for a joke, that is fine, bit of a giggle, etc. but you see the ones who can't sing, don't look the part etc, but their parents, friends, etc have been lying to this person that they actually have talent, they then go on national and international tv and make a complete arse of themselves, but most of them are still deluisonal, and think they still have talent, they are just not recognised.

Fuck, am I one of those people, in respect to my writing? That sends shivers up my spine. I talk to a few friends about it, and they are supportive, and normally VERY blunt, and I would expect them to tell me if it is crap.

But, do they?

You are never 100$% sure.

If a pro read it for me, then I could take, "hey, look the dialogue needs work, trim, etc, structure okay, but speed it up in act 3"........whatever.....that is fine, but what I REALLY want to know is ........... do I totally suck at this and am just deluding myself. That is worth money, so that if I do suck, then I can not waste my time or anyone elses.

I could then just blog and get the writing bug out that way.

What do others think?
cheers
Dave.